Of Conflicts and Understandings
by CommanderApple
Summary: Shoko talks to Keiichi that she is secretly jealous of all the attention Kahoko recieves. And she uncovers a secret that changes her life for the better. KeiichiXShoko


La Corda D'Oro

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this hopefully short story! This is my first story so please, NO FLAMES! Review!

Keiichi stopped playing his cello and sighed. He was practicing for the upcoming competition, but sadly, he wasn't satisfied with his playing. Suddenly, he felt as if he wasn't alone.

He looked around and was surprised to see Shoko standing there, watching him play. Normally, he'd be honored to have a worthy audience. But with the look of uneasiness in her eyes, he felt as if she was greatly troubled. And couldn't help but help her with whatever her problem was.

He smiled gently. "Hey there, Shoko." He said as he motioned for her to sit on the seat beside him on the stage.

She bowed her head and looked like she was about to decline, but she soon slowly walked over to the stage and sat beside Keiichi.

The second she sat beside him, he put his cello away.

"So…"he started kindly. "I saw Kahoko this morning. She was really happy about something and her being happy made me happy too, for some reason. She seemed worried about my health, though…" Keiichi said, not noticing that Shoko was becoming very uncomfortable about the topic.

"I'm going to need to practice a bit more if I want a chance to be even close to beating Kahoko. Kahoko really is very kind and modest about her playing, isn't she?. Kahoko said that I should worry about my health. Kahoko says that I should stop practicing for a while and start enjoying life. Kahoko says that-"

"Would you just shut up?!" Shoko screamed, her head still bowed and tears filling her eyes. "Kahoko's not the only girl in this school, you know! I know that she may be prettier, more active and better than me, but that doesn't mean that you should neglect me!" Shoko shouted, crying quite evident in her voice.

"It's always Kahoko this, Kahoko that. It's never about anything else when it comes to the seven of us! Everyone likes her! There's Master Azuma, Kazuki, Ryotaro. Darn it! Even the cold-hearted Len likes her! I know, I sound like a spoiled brat, don't I, but it just isn't fair. Kahoko's not the only girl in this group of competitors! There's me. And I'm always neglected!" Shoko screamed, already obvious that she was crying.

Keiichi never thought that Shoko can be aggressive. He kind of liked it.

"Shoko, what's really bothering you? I have known you for a long time and know that you like and look up to Kahoko. What's really been troubling you?" Keiichi said kindly while rubbing Shoko's hand.

"My problem is-is that no one truly cares about me. No one ever acknowledges me! No one cares! It's always about Kahoko! And you, the quiet guy who acts hostile to anyone who disturbs your practice or your sleep. You always seem nicest to Kahoko! It's not fair! It's not fair that she got what I've been working for! It's not fair that whenever you see her, you smile. And I don't even get a glance. It's not fair that I've been working so hard for you to even look at me. While Kahoko gets it everyday! Don't you see?! The problem is… is that no one cares about me! Everyone loves Kahoko. And it's unfair that she gets all your love and attention in a flash. And I've been working for that love and attention for a long time. And I don't even have the slightest bit of it yet! The thing is that I… I…" she said as she shut her eyes, trying to keep her tears from flowing.

"I lov-" she said quickly while raising her head and opening her eyes, but was quickly silenced when Keiichi cupped her chin with his hand and sent his lips crashing down onto hers. Expecting him to let go any minute, she didn't make a move, which made Keiichi kiss her even harder. She no longer had the strength to overcome this since the kiss came from _him._And so, she unknowingly started to warm up and melt into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and slightly played with his golden locks (this made Keiichi glad and reassured that she didn't slap him).

They stayed this way for quite a while, both of them forgetting everything and just enjoying the feel of their lips against eachother.

Keiichi parted and stared gently into her eyes.

"Kahoko may be kind, fun and active. But she isn't nearly as pretty and beautiful as you. My heart will always and forever belong to you."

Shoko blushed.

He grinned, and then he chuckled. And soon, his chuckle became a hearty laugh.

"Shoko," he started "I never intended on telling you this but, ever since the very first day I saw you, I had the strong desire to tell you that I loved you. But…" he said, his face turning a bit dark "you came from such an outstanding family, that I was sure that you had high expectations for who you would want to spend the rest of your life with. I didn't want to burden you, nor did I want our friendship to be ruined by my confession. Thus, I kept my distance from you and my feelings locked away. I thought that I might be able to forget about my feelings by befriending Kahoko. Don't get me wrong, I do like her as a friend." He said, becoming a bit cheerful by raising his head. "Unfortunately, my feelings for you were too strong, and even Kahoko's joyous personality wasn't enough to mask it."

Silence hung in the air.

Keiichi caressed Shoko's cheek and kissed her once again. No longer caught off guard, Shoko gladly kissed back, noticing that this kiss was completely different from the last one. This kiss was warm. All the emotions that they had for eachother were released. They allowed themselves to get lost in the kiss. And when they let go, they were both lightly gasping for air.

Keiichi smiled. He stood up, grabbed Shoko's hand and hugged her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Don't ever leave me." He said , his voice slightly muffled against her hair. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't worry. I never will." she whispered.

A/N: I know, extremely cheesy, right? **REVIEW!!!**


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